


Camp Campbells Ghoul Problem

by MagmaWolf (orphan_account)



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Abusive Parents, All the campers are there but have more minor roles, Alternate Universe- David Adopts Max, Blood and Gore, Inspired by Tokyo Ghoul, Max cusses a lot, Mild Language, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Tokyo Ghoul Universe, dadvid
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-15
Updated: 2018-08-11
Packaged: 2019-06-10 14:35:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,814
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15293634
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/MagmaWolf
Summary: The world is a place where humans don't sit atop the food chain. No, instead it is ghouls who can only live by eating human meat.Max hates his life and by the look of it life hates him back. He's a ghoul who's no doubtfully much weaker than most. His parents despise him for that and in one last attempt to get him stronger they send him to a camp full of humans. He'd either kill them and finally become a son worthy of life or he'd be killed off. It's almost been a month and Max still hasn't eaten. He'd rather starve then become like his parents, but his mind has different ideas and it isn't long until David finds him on the brink of going berserk.(You don't need any prior knowledge of Tokyo Ghoul to understand this fic. It also contains no spoilers for the actual manga/anime)





	1. Introduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said you don't need to know anything about the manga/anime Tokyo Ghoul. The fic only takes place in the universe and everything you need to know will be explained in this chapter.

David quickly ushered all the campers into the mess hall, the rain was only getting worse and by this point there was a risk of a light flood. And gosh, he wouldn’t risk their safety even if it meant they wouldn’t be able to resume the joys of Theatre camp. He glanced over at Gwen who was put in charge of counting each kid.

She was soaked from head to toe and looked absolutely miserable as she basically dragged Max inside. At this point he had given up on protesting and allowed himself to be shoved into the room with all the others. David marched up to her, a smile plastered on his face. “Well heya co-counselor! That storm really came out of nowhere, but we won’t let that stop us from having a blast inside!”

Gwen didn’t share even the slightest bit of enthusiasm as he did. “David why the fuck don’t we have umbrellas?” 

“They were dangerous Gwen!” He said, shaking his head slightly “Don’t you remember what happened last time?” 

She shuddered as she remembered the last storm. Nerf wasn’t a force to be reckoned with, especially with the Quartermaster opposing him. Gwen sighed, she accepted defeat and decided to change the subject. “Alright fine, but now what are we supposed to do with these little shits?”

David pondered for a bit before snapping his fingers. “Why don’t we have a safety lesson? I’m sure their parents would love them to know how to protect themselves!” 

“Sure why not?” She shrugged. Whenever David did one of his safety presentations he would get so carried away that Gwen was free to do anything in the meantime. It was a win-win; He would get to teach the kids and she’d be able to read up on some werewolf smut.

“Oh good! I’ll go get everything set up” He clapped his hands in joy and went to do just that. David began preparing but was interrupted by Prestons protests “UGH! This was supposed to be MY day! Now we’re all stuck inside like bodies in a sewer!” He threw his arms up in utter frustration. 

“I know you’re disappointed but I promise we will have just as much fun in here!” David hummed happily as he pulled out a whiteboard. 

Max looked at him quizzically as he spoke up “What the hell even are we doing?” 

“Today-” He turned around to face all the campers “-we’ll learn how to protect ourselves against ghouls!” 

Max scoffed and rolled his eyes “David how fucking dumb are you? Ghouls aren't real, just some stupid scary story parents tell their kids to make them shut up.”

Neil nodded in agreement “It’s scientifically impossible! Creatures that are nearly identical in DNA to us yet rely on eating human flesh?! It’s idiotic.” 

Nikki shrugged “I dunno guys, my mom always talks about them and she’s never wrong about things. She says they have long claws and sharp teeth!” She growled and pretended to be the very monster she just described.

“Actually she’s right.” David frowned and turned to the three “Ghouls are indeed real and are incredibly dangerous!” He frowned as the skeptical kids groaned in resistance.

He only sighed and went to face the rest of the kids. “As I was saying… Ghouls. They are creatures that can blend perfectly into human society except for one major difference; They can only eat us humans.” 

Nerris yelped “They’re like zombies?! Will they eat my brains?!” She clenched her wand, as if to prepare for an attack, but David just shook his head. “Nope, not zombies. They are just as intelligent as us humans-”

“They’re more intelligent than you David.” Max growled. He was getting more irritated each second this presentation went on. 

“Max please. This is a very important lesson-” “It’s fucking stupid!” “Language-” “Oh shut the fuck up! Ghouls aren’t real! Monsters aren’t real!” “Max enough! You need to be prepared if you are attacked!” “If these things are really as strong as you say then I’d be dead before I’d have a chance to defend myself!” “Exactly why you need to know how to avoid them!” 

David sighed as Max seemed to go quite. It seemed like he woke up on the wrong side of the bed and was grumpier than usual. Nonetheless David returned his attention to the entire camp, hopefully the rest of the lesson would go smoother. 

“Now as I was saying ghouls are very much like humans so it can be very difficult to spot one. Yet there are a few clues; Ghouls can not eat human food. They will become very nauseous if they even attempt to eat something we would.”   


Space kid raised his hand and waved it around. “Wait! Does that mean they can’t eat chocolate?!” 

“Hmm I suppose not. It would taste very bitter for them-” “But that’s so sad!” Gwen scoffed and, without even looking up from her book, spoke “They’re literally monsters that will eat you… Don’t feel bad for them kid-”

Before he could even reply the junior astronaut hopped up “Can there be a good ghoul?” David pondered the question. “I suppose there could be… I mean I believe there’s good in every-” 

Once again Max spoke up, this time glaring at space kid. “Don’t try to befriend a ghoul dumbass. If you see one, kill it.”

This statement seemed to interest Nerf who grinned “Oh hell yeah! When I grow up every ghoul will be dead!” He stood up and grabbed Dolph by the cuff of his shirt and pretended to kill him as though he one of them “I saw these people on TV! They had these weapons used specifically to kill those things!”

“U-Um that would be a Quinque-” David tried to intervene before Nerf escalated the situation. Luckily it seemed to work as he dropped Dolph and turned his attention back over. “-They are weapons made from a ghouls kagune. You see they are much stronger than we are and it takes a lot more to even hurt them.” 

Nerris tilted her head “Wait is a kagune like a ghoul’s weapon?” “Exactly Nerris! Except it is made entirely by their RC cells. It’s almost like muscle that can be formed whenever a ghoul is in danger. Ghouls eyes will also change pure red when attacking prey or-”

Nikki hopped up and pointed to the window “The storm stopped!”. Preston laughed “FINALLY! The sky has cleared and THE SHOW WILL GO ON!!” He shoved others out of the way and went outside to his stage. Many of the other campers rushed outside as well. 

Eventually everyone had left, leaving only the two counselors. David went to follow them out to continue theatre camp but stopped when Gwen glanced up at him. 

"Wow twenty minutes… that’s a new record.” He only smiled as he left the mess hall “They were all so interested! I’m so proud!” “Yeah well what about Max?” “He’ll come around eventually! I know he will!” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this first chapter is short and a bit boring. It's actually kind of unnecessary but I really wanted to make an explanation chapter for anyone who is unfamiliar with the manga. I promise future chapter will be a lot more engaging.
> 
> (Also in case you were wondering when Preston said "Stuck inside like bodies in a sewer" that was actually a Les Mis reference.)


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: This chapter contains child abuse as well as light gore (It's not super descriptive but it's there) If anything like that triggers you please avoid this chapter and stay safe!

Dinner was served at the usual time. Each camper was served a scoop of gooey mashed potatoes atop their trays. Max sighed as he walked over to his usual table with the three people he’s grown to like. “Of all the fucking activities we do why can’t cooking be one of them? This is literally worse than the shit they give you in prison.”

Neil glanced over “That’s actually not a bad idea… maybe you could ask David to-” “Fuck David. If I even recommend something he would never let me hear the end of it.” Neil shrugged as Max simply poked the food with his fork.

Before long he shoved the food tray towards Nikki who had already devoured her serving. “Here. Have it.” She smiled and tried speaking with her mouth full, but was interrupted by Neil. “Woah wait Max… I know you don’t like the food here but you should at least eat something.”

Nikki finally gulped down the food and nodded “Yeah! If not we might think you were a ghoul!” She stood up on the table and grabbed a handful of mash and shoved it in her mouth in an aggressive manner. She growled and pretended as if she were eating human flesh.

Max rolled his eyes “oh ha ha so funny-” His voice dripped with sarcasm. “-Ever since David made that awful presentation you’ve been- MMPH!!” before he could even finish the sentence Nikki shoved the food into his mouth.

He gagged and coughed out the foul food. It tasted rotten and bland at the same time. “Nikki what the fuck?!” He glared in her direction as she just shrugged. “I was just trying to see if you are a ghoul… and by the looks of it… YOU ARE ONE!”

Everyone in the mess hall looked over at their table as Nikki pointed at him accusingly. Max growled as he saw everyone’s eyes staring at him. David had even overheard and was already walking over. “Now Nikki I’m not sure that is something to joke about-”

“Oh my god David! You can’t take a joke can you?!” Max grabbed a small handful of the mash and ate it quickly. When he was done he threw his hands up and glared at Nikki “There! Happy?”

“Yup!” She smiled and sat back down “False alarm!”. All the other kids resumed eating as David simply shrugged and went back to talking with Gwen. Max growled and stood up “I’m going to my tent.” Neil frowned “But dinner barely even started”

“Yeah whatever.” He simply shoved his hands in his pockets and left the building before he could be questioned further. Luckily this didn’t seem too outside his character and no one really seemed to think anything of it.

He continued towards the tents but once he’d arrived he simply walked straight past them and into the forest. Before long he stopped as the nausea started to kick in. He stumbled towards a bush and proceed to vomit what little food he ate.

He gagged as he eventually slumped down. “Fucking Nikki-” He groaned, talking to himself. From the looks the other campers made; the food tasted terrible for them as well, but at least they could actually eat it. Max wasn’t like the other campers though. In fact, Nikki couldn’t have been more right. He was a ghoul and for him the food was more than gross; it was absolutely revolting. Max wiped his mouth with his sleeve and glanced around the forest. He slowly stood up and trudged back towards the camp before anyone got suspicious.

As he opened up his tent and climbed inside the only thing he could think about was David’s stupid presentation. Ever since then all the campers wouldn’t shut up about ghouls and it did nothing but make him feel worse. He crawled into his bed and rolled over to lay on his side.

He tried drifting to sleep but was unable to silence his thoughts. In an attempt to relax he reached over and grabbed his teddy bear from his secret stash. Holding Mr. Honeynuts close he couldn’t help but feel weak, but he couldn’t ignore how much better he felt with it. Of course if his parents ever found out he still had this old plush they’d rip it apart in an instant. Hell, they’d probably rip him apart first.

Max absolutely hated his parents; they were vicious and bloodthirsty. They only sent him to Camp Campbell because they wanted him to be the same.

 

_Max’s stomach churned as he saw his father slash an unsuspecting human. The stranger was barely able to scream out in pain before his mom impaled him with her own kagune. The man collapsed on the ground, gasping for any air that could fill his ruptured lungs._

_Before his parents could finish the job his dad called to him “Maxwell it’s your turn. Kill him.” “YOU’RE FUCKING INSANE!” “What?!” His father turned to him, fury already starting to fill his red eyes. “You’ve eaten human before! Now just kill this one!”_

_Max shook his head and stepped back, growling. His dad was right; he had in fact eaten human meat plenty of times before, but he never had to kill someone. It was easier to eat the meat if he just pretended it came from a farm or some shit like that._

_But now he just saw his future food crying out for help in a bloody heap. No matter how tough he thought he was, he couldn’t kill this man. He was weak and his parents knew that._

_His father stood up and planted his foot on the man’s neck and pushed down. The stranger gasped and coughed up blood. His body spasmed a bit before eventually going limp._

_Max was already looking away, he was covering his ears in hope of blocking out the sounds of the gruesome scene behind him. When everything eventually went quiet he didn’t even dare to look up. Unfortunately he didn't have a choice as he was yanked up by his hood and was directly facing his dad._

_“You’re weak!” He spat as he roughly threw the kid against the wall. Max landed with a grunt. He quickly tried to get up but was kicked back down before he even able to move away. “You’re pathetic!” he growled as he kept beating down his only child._

_Max tried desperately to get away “L-LET GO OF ME” his father only scoffed “You’d never be able to live on your own!” Max coughed and spat out blood, at this point a rib probably punctured something. “Fight back boy!! Fight back or you’ll die!”_

_Suddenly a burst of adrenaline rushed through his veins as his eyes went red. His own kagune sprouted out and blocked his father’s foot. Max took this opportunity to run but before he could get far his father grabbed his arm and harshly pulled him back._

_Instead of beating the kid he simply just dropped him and went back to his wife to eat the meal they had just killed. Max looked at him, still on edge. He tried to calm down but his hands were trembling._

_After a bit his mother tossed him a hand from their ‘prey’. “Eat, we can’t have you starving-” He slowly looked at the limb. He felt like a dog; only getting scraps, but he slowly took it and began eating. The small amount of food was barely satisfying but it at least calmed his hunger. He barely finished before his parents already started walking over in his direction._

_His mother sighed and shook her head “You’re going to die if you stay this pathetic.” Max glared at her “Yeah so what?!” “We’re sending you to camp-” “You’re… What??” Of all the things his mom would say he did not expect that. What type of camp did she mean?_

_His father growled as he tossed Max a pamphlet advertising some place called Camp Campbell. “It’s a camp full of humans. Kill them and you’ll finally be able to live alone. If you don’t you’ll either starve or be killed.”_

_Oh. Well that made more sense. He scoffed and tossed the pamphlet aside, regaining his composure “Yeah well you’ll get rid of me either way. I wouldn’t have thought you would’ve been smart enough to think of this plan yourself.” “What did you say boy?!” “I said you’re a dumbass-”_

_Max immediately regretted speaking up, but it luckily his dad only huffed “You’re all bark and no bite. You’ll die for sure.” “It’s not like you’d care.”_

_“You’re right. You’re as good as dead to me already.”_

 

Max sighed as he tried to block out all the memories that seemed to cling to his mind. This camp really did suck, but anything was better than staying with his parents. Even if that meant starving in the middle of the forest.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy fuck it took me forever to try to attach this image. Anyway I drew a small piece of fanart just so you guys can try visualizing Max with his Kagune out. I know it's just kind of awkwardly at the bottom of the chapter but I didn't know where else to add it.
> 
> I really hoped you enjoyed this chapter though! I tried to get this chapter right but I'm still not happy with it. This is really the first time I'm writing for Camp Camp so I don't have a good grasp for the characters yet. 
> 
> A lot of you guys left really nice comments and they absolutely made my day! I really hope you continue to enjoy this fic and I hope I don't let you down!


	3. Chapter 3

Max groaned and woke up in a haze. He barely slept at all, but what else was new? Glancing over he saw Neil sleeping on the bed across from him. Maybe it was still early? He glanced towards the opening of the tent and saw the light starting to enter through. It must’ve been around 6, so most of the campers wouldn’t start to wake for a bit longer.

Though his body seemed to refuse any movement he figured if he waited in the mess hall the others might assume he’d already eaten. Meaning he could avoid any instances of what happened yesterday. He slowly climbed out of bed and trudged outside, trying not to wake up his roommate. Tentmate? Whatever.

He opened the door to face David talking with the Quartermaster about what to serve for breakfast. It was then when Max regretted his decision. “Good morning Max! I’m happy to see you already ready for today’s activities!” “Oh shut the fuck up David.”

The counselor frowned and placed his hands on his hips “Max I’m just excited you’re here so early!” “I couldn’t sleep.” He said plainly as he went to get some coffee. “Well that’s just terrible! Maybe if you stopped drinking so much coffee then you’d be able to-”

“David just let the kid wake up.” Gwen yawned and walked through the building to get a cup of coffee herself. David frowned “Well alright but I still think if he-” “David I swear to god-” “Ok ok-”

Max smirked as he sat over at his table and sipped the coffee. Thankfully Gwen was just about as done with David’s shit as he was, it made his morning a little more tolerable.

He continued to gulp down his coffee as he glanced at the window. The drink was probably the only human-made thing he could actually enjoy, let alone consume. A while back he heard his parents talk about some coffee shops run by ghouls. They said it was weak that other ghouls relied on getting food from outside sources. Not that he really knew what any of that meant. Besides his parents would never answer any of his questions anyway.

It wasn’t long before the other campers started walking in. Nikki was first; she was more hyperactive than usual. Mostly because today was her day, which meant adventure camp. Fan-fucking-tastic. Neil had eventually joined the table too, he droned on about how ridiculous ‘Adventure Camp’ really was.

Honestly Max was only half paying attention; he only muttered small phrases to add to the conversation. The only important thing was they weren’t talking about yesterday. Another plus would be how no one questioned his lack of eating.

Unfortunately breakfast only lasted an hour at most, this meant they all were rushed outside for adventure. David was busy talking about some hike to find treasure or some shit like that and Nikki was practically shaking with pure excitement.

At this point Max wasn’t listening at all; the only thing he could think about was how _hungry_ he was. Ghoul’s could go a month in between meals and still stay healthy and strong. But Max… The last thing he ate were the scraps his mom tossed at him. That was a month and a half ago and it barely even sustained him. Who knew how much longer he had till he starved.

Nikki ran up to both him and Neil and grabbed them both. “Guys! Didja hear David?! There’s a treasure chest full of CANDY!”

Neil sighed “You do realize he made all that up… right?” “Well duh! But doesn’t a chest full of candy seem AMAZING?!”

Max pushed away from the energetic girl “You do realize it’s probably some lame ass healthy thing right? David would never do anything actual ‘cool’.” “Who cares?! It’s not the reward it’s the ADVENTURE!” “Says no one ever-”

“-Alright campers, who’s ready for an adventure!” Davids overly peppy voice was worse than nails on a chalkboard. To make matters worse he wore some overly exaggerated costume which was basically a mix between a pirate and prince? At least Preston seemed interested.

Max groaned with pure distaste, he’d rather die than hike around a lake. Actually... dying was a possibility with this whole starving thing going on, but ignoring that fact seemed to work thus far. Why stop now?

Well… apparently the hike was an hour there and an hour back. The major problem was the fact Max felt on the brink of collapsing within the first twenty minutes. At this point food was the only thing he was even capable of thinking about.

Neil glanced over at the boy who barely even trudged behind him “Uh Max, You okay? You look kind of sick.” “Wow really? I thought everyone felt dead while hiking-” “Uh….?” “Yes I’m fucking sick! God dammit.”

Max stopped walked and simply sighed “Just tell David I’m going to our tent-” “Wait but Max-!” Nikki popped out from a tree she had been climbing. “You can’t leave yet! There’s candy!” “You seriously think I’d eat any of that shit?” “Well maybe-” “Just let me-”

Nikki slipped and fell, crashing to the ground. Neil yelped and rushed over “Holy shit Nikki are you okay?!” “Haha yeah just this scrape-” She lifted her arm to reveal a definitely not okay gash that would probably need stitches.

“Nikki?! Holy fuck- DAVID!” Neil panicked and rushed to find the counselor. “Oh pfft I’ll be fine. Maybe I can get a scar!! Those are so cool!” She chuckled and glanced at the only friend who was still there.

“Uh Max?” Nikki waved her good hand in front of his face but got no response. Max was struck by the smell of blood. His thoughts started to blur as his more animalistic instincts started to rise.

 _He was so hungry and she was already injured. They were alone he could easily-_ No. Nikki was one of the only friends he had. He couldn’t do that. He couldn’t. _Could he?_

Max held his head and stumbled back. He quickly turned away from the girl and ran as fast as he could. He didn’t care about the direction, his only goal was getting away from all of them as fast as possible.

He must’ve ran for at least thirty minutes before he inevitably collapsed. His breathing was raspy as he leaned against a tree. At least he was away from the others. If they never find his body they’d all assume he just ran away.

The cold air brushed against his face, causing him to wrap up his hoodie. He knew from the moment his parents sent him to this fucking camp that it was death sentence. That still didn’t mean he was ready to die.

The 10 year old teared up and looked to the ground. What a pathetic excuse he was for a ghoul; instead of easily taking prey he was stuck starving in the middle of nowhere. No one would really care anyway. Not his parents, not his friends, not even himself.

He closed his eyes tightly in hopes of maybe being able to drift to sleep, but he was only met with ugly sobs. He wasn’t meant to have dreams or aspirations; he was meant to make life hell for humans until he was eventually killed. That was the world he was born into. And he fucking hated it.

Nonetheless he really wished he had another chance. Hell, even Mr. Honeynuts would be nice.

 

He wasn't sure when he had fallen asleep but he woke up to hearing his name being shouted. There were two lights shining through the night; presumably the counselors flashlights. Of course they'd fucking look for him, it's the only way they'd avoid getting arrested. Max groaned and tried standing up but his legs felt on the verge of collapsing. 

He tried walking, only to end up crashing down into a bush. "Fucking great-" He groaned as he tried standing up. Before he could even move he heard footsteps begin to get louder as Davids voice rang out "Max?! Was that you?" 

Thinking quickly, he desperately scrambled deeper into the plant. But it was too late; A bright light was flashed in his face as his counselor was staring right into his blood red eyes.

"...Max?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter's a bit short, I was going to write more but i realized it would be better if I just made a separate chapter. I hope you enjoy! Your comments really make me so happy and inspire me to write more and better than before!


	4. Chapter 4

David stood staring at the kid whose red eyes stared back. Max looked away and attempted to run from the man, but ended up falling to the ground. “F-Fuck off David-!” He coughed as his counselor stood over him, unmoving.

“Max you’re…-” He spoke softly, unable to process what he was seeing. “Shut up and leave already!!” The boy’s tone turned desperate, but it did nothing to make David move away from him.

“JUST FUCKING LEAVE-!” Max stumbled back groaning and holding his chest. This was when David finally snapped out of the shock that left him frozen. He didn’t see a hungry ghoul, he saw an injured kid. Maybe that was his first mistake.

He didn’t waste a moment rushing to his side. Max was heaving and holding his head. “Max?! What’s wrong?! What can I do to-”

In an instant pain burst through the man’s chest. Max’s kagune was impaled directly at his side. David coughed and gagged as blood started to fill his throat. The kagune retracted back to the boys side as he stared directly at his injured counselor.

David stumbled back onto a tree, coughing and holding his chest. He tried applying pressure to the wound but the blood wouldn’t stop flowing. With blurry vision he saw Max, looking directly at him with those ghoul eyes. “M-Max-”

But this wasn't the kid he was beginning to appreciate. No, this was a bloodthirsty ghoul ready to kill him for food alone. How long had he been planning to do this? Was everything he doing just a ruse to lure him?

All of this had happened so fast; He didn’t have time to process everything. But within the next minute another jolt of pain erupted through his shoulder. Max was biting into him, he was eating him?!

Tears started welling in Davids eyes. He didn’t want to die; there was so much left to do. And yet here he was; dying at the hands of someone he thought was finally coming around. To think he never even raised a child of his own; at least he helped the campers as best as he could. That's all he really wanted.

He closed his eyes tightly and just waited for this to end but suddenly the attack finished just as quickly as it started. Max let go and pushed off of him, falling to the ground in the process. “F-Fuck!!” Gripping the sides of his head, he looked to the ground and tried to focus his thoughts.

His breathing was ragged and panicked as he desperately trying to calm his instincts in anyway he could. He couldn't be like his parents. Who cares if he would never gain their respect! He wouldn't become them.

That's when David slowly opened his eyes once again. Through blurry vision he saw Max in utter panic. Was he not going to finish the job? Then the boy returned the gaze, his eyes began reverting to their normal color.

Max began to tear up as he looked away “H-Holy fuck.. I…-” he closed his eyes tightly and shook his head. His kagune retracted completely as the kid clenched his fists and looked away “I-I’m sorry… fuck I'm sorry-”. He was frantically trying to apologize when he saw the familiar light from a flashlight. It had to be-

“Gwen…? Gwen! Holy fuck thank god!”  “Uh Max? What’s going on-?” Gwen's voice half shouted from somewhere in the woods. “For fucks sake just help us!”

“What do you mean? Who else is-” Her voice grew louder until she came into view “-Oh Jesus fucking Christ!!” Her eyes widened as she rushed to David who had gone pale at this point. “Max what did you do?!”

The boy looked at his hands which were coated with blood, David’s blood . “I didn’t mean-” “Just tell me later we need to help him!!” Gwen quickly opened the first aid kit she was carrying around. Thank god David was worried Max might be hurt.

She cussed as she looked at her phone. “Shit there’s no signal- Max go to the camp and call an ambulance!” He nodded slowly and walked a bit before stumbling. Now that the pure adrenaline of his instincts had vanished he was back to feeling utterly weak. He leaned against a tree as a flood of hunger washed over him. In truth he was still severely undernourished and that meant he was still at a risk of starvation.

“Fuck don’t tell me you’re hurt too-!” Gwen growled as she wrapped David’s chest with a cloth bandage. She pulled it a bit too tight which led to a pained gasp from the man. “G-Gwen?!” “Shit David I’m sorry I’m trying the best I can-” “Where… where’s M-Max?” “What?” “M-Max. Is he… Is he okay?” “Uh yeah I think- he’s going to get help.” David shook his head slightly “J-Just… help me back to the cabin…” “David don’t be a fucking idiot you’re in no state to-” “Gwen p-please”

She stared at him, trying to find any sort of reasoning. In the end she settled on the fact that David always knew what was best and so she carefully helped him up; wrapping her own arm around his to secure his balance. They slowly began walking before she glanced back at Max “Can you walk?”

He grunted but nodded slightly as he stood on shaking legs "Yeah I can fucking walk I'm not hurt-" Gwen sighed and just gestured him to follow. Luckily they walked along at a slow pace, even so by the time they had even made it halfway David was practically clinging to his co-counselor. "David if you fucking die that's your fault for not getting some help-"

Before they could walk much farther Max stumbled to the ground behind them. His legs finally decided to give and he was stuck on the ground, too weak to even stand back up.

“-Oh for fucks sake!” Gwen stopped and glanced back “You said you weren’t hurt!!” “And I’m not!!” Max growled as he tried standing back up, but was unable to maintain his balance and fell back onto a tree. Pinching the brink of her nose, Gwen groaned “I am not getting paid enough for this shit-”

She slowly placed David down which lead to a whine from the man. “Alright you two stay here I’m going to get the Quartermaster… You know unless you want to do the rational thing and call 911?”

He slowly glanced over at Max and proceeded to shake his head slowly which led to a sigh from the only other adult with them. She trudged off mumbling something about how she wasn’t going to be responsible if they die. Soon enough she walked out of sight, leaving the two on their own once again.

Max slumped down against a tree and placed his head into his sleeves. After a few minutes he slowly glanced over at David who seemed to finally fall unconscious. The guilt bubbling in his chest was almost unbearable and he was forced to look away from the man.

“I’m sorry.” He teared up and closed his eyes. A rush of exhaustion flooded his body as he finally let himself rest, even a little bit. He was clinging to the hope of maybe dying in his sleep.

Though at this point he wasn’t asleep but rather unconscious. His body was clinging to the last remnants of energy he even had left. Ghoul’s had a rather remarkable way of survival, which meant he could probably last a week more until he actually died. Fortunate or not, Max desperately just wanted things to return to normal… or at least what he’d grown accustomed to.

But he knew that was impossible ever since his parents abandoned him at this fucking camp.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I'm sorry, not sorry, about that picture... Also David wasn't hit in the center of his chest but rather like his side so... less damage? IDK I wasn't going for accuracy when sketching a joke picture) Augh I could not be happy with this chapter! I edited it so many times but I couldn't write it in a way where I'm content with it. That's partly the reason this chapter took so long to publish. Nonetheless I hope you enjoy anyway and I promise the next chapter will be published much sooner


	5. Chapter 5

“WAKE UP SLEEPYHEAD!” Nikki jumped on his chest with no warning whatsoever. Max gasped and coughed as he shoved the girl off his stomach. “Nikki?!” She smiled and sat at the edge of the bed “Oh good you’re alive! Me and Neil were trying-”

“God damn it! What did I say about coming into this cabin?” Gwen stood at the door with space kid under her arms. She looked overwhelmed and exhausted, Nikki didn’t seem to care though seeing as she plainly ran from the counselor. Gwen groaned and slowly tried getting her while spacekid kept wiggling and yelling “ABORT! ABORT!”

While that chaos ensued Neil walked over to the bedside. “Uh Max? Are you okay? You kind of look-” “-Dead? Yeah I know.” He growled and rolled over to face the wall. “I was going to say sick-” He shrugged and looked at the other bed where David rested “Anyway what even happened after you ran away? You’ve been in this cabin for a few days-”

“A few days??” “Yeah two to be exact-” Before Neil could continue Gwen interrupted their conversation; “Hey! Neil that means you too! Now get to the mess hall already!” “Fine fine jeesh-” He trudged out of the cabin with Gwen close behind.

It wasn’t until he heard the door close did Max allow himself to sit up. His whole body ached with pure exhaustion and part of him desperately wanted to fall back into a dreamless sleep. But he knew that wasn’t a possibility, he had to think of what to do next. Especially seeing as how long he’s been cooped in here.

As he glanced around the room he noticed he was in the counselors cabin. He could probably run away again, especially seeing how Gwen has her hands full. The only problem was the mere fact he was too weak to get anywhere. Yet he couldn’t stay at the camp unless he wanted another hunger fueled attack.

“How could I let things get so shitty-?” Max groaned to himself as he placed his head into the palms of his hands. He felt utterly helpless and he absolutely hated that.

“...Max..?” David’s soft voice spoke through the silence.

“Holy fuck you’re awake?!” Max couldn’t hide his shock as he glanced over at the other bed. And there David laid, eyes half opened and bandages across his chest.

He let out a pained chuckle as he looked at the kid “Kinda hard not to be with Nikki here-”

“...” Max sighed and decided not to ignore the elephant in the room. “So David you going to kill me or-”

“What?!” David sat up but quickly regretted that choice when pain surged through his chest. He grunted and looked at him “Max why would you think that-?”

“I’m a ghoul idiot!” He half shouted. He hated the fact David was merely trying to overlook the fact he almost killed him.

Silence washed over the room as the two sat looking at each other. Eventually Max huffed and turned to look to the wall “-Or did you forget that I attacked you-”

David sighed and glanced at his bandaged chest “No I remember what happened that night. But I also remember you apologizing… Throughout summer I’ve seen you eat once and I’ve had my fair share of concerns…” He turned his gaze back to Max “I can tell you’re starving yourself-”

“-Yeah well so what?!” “It means you care-” “I don’t give a shit about anyone in this camp! All it means is that I’m too weak to actually kill anyone!” “Max-” “Shut up David! I’m a ghoul! Get it? I kill and eat people! It’s what I’ve known since the moment I was born! Now just get rid of me already instead of dragging this on!” “I'm not going to get rid of you-” “-Then you're a fucking idiot.”

David sat staring at Max, worry washing over his thoughts. He wanted to help… but he didn't know how. Instead he merely spoke his mind: “Max, do you know why I didn't ask for an ambulance?” “Because you're out of your fucking mind?” “-Because if they found out what caused my injures I'm sure they would've, um, well they would've-”

“-Killed me?” Max spoke softly, still avoiding eye contact. David looked like he was going to speak up but simply sighed and nodded slightly. “...I really want to help you, Max, I really do. Even if you're not human…-”

The counselor waited for some kind of response from the kid in front of him but instead they only sat in a silence that dragged on for what seemed like hours. David was about to speak up once again when suddenly Max’s laughter erupted through the cabin.

“HAHA YOU FUCKING IDIOT!!!” The ridiculousness of the situation was all he could think about as David plainly looked at him with pure confusion. “YOU?! HELPING ME?!” The laughter began to subside as Max turned to look at the man.

“You, a human with a perfectly normal life, wanting to help me!? A ghoul?! You really are out of your goddamn mind.” “I'm serious Max-”

The chuckling stopped completely as the boy shook his head. “So am I David. The only thing you can do to help is kill me before someone else does.” Max scoffed and pulled the blankets closer to him as he rolled over in the bed.

The red head looked to the ground. His mind swarmed with ideas of how to help the boy, there had to be a way. “...Are there other ghouls like you?” “What?” “Other ghouls who don't want to hurt someone-” “-you mean other ghouls who are too weak to do shit? Yeah.” “Then… what to they do to survive?” “They usually don't. Either they get killed or get some other asshole to help.” “Ghouls can rely on others?” “Duh. My parents always talk about useless ones going to some shop.”

David froze. Was that a possibility? He knew it! He knew there was a way to help him!

“That's it!” “Huh?” “We can go to this place and find something for you! As long as it doesn't involve hurting someone or worse. But it could really work! We could take the car and drive to the nearest one and be back before Gwen is even gone! Oh but we'd need to leave a note in case she gets worried. But I'm sure she'll know we’re-”

“Woah woah what?” Max stared at him, this time he was the one confused “David what the hell are you going on about-?” “I can help you!” “I hate to burst your bubble here but I don't even know where these so called shops are, besides neither of us are in any position to go looking around for one.” “We have to try!” “What if I don't want to!? You ever think of that David?”

His smile faded as he glanced over. “You don't really think that… right?” Max just shrugged “what if I do?” “Well you don't have a choice-” “What??” “I'm not going to let you die. You deserve to find happiness, no matter what you are.”

David grunted as he slowly attempted to climb out of his bed. He stumbled a bit as leaned against the wall. He held his chest and managed to balance on both legs. Max only watched with disbelief as the man carefully took a slow step towards his desk.

“You've lost it. You've fucking lost it.” “Language Max-” David didn’t waste a moment to get his plan into action as he slipped on his shirt. Once he straightened out the wrinkles he turned to start writing a note for Gwen in the chance she noticed they were gone. He soon clicked the pen and grabbed the car keys, glancing back at the ghoul. “You coming?”

Max mumbled something under his breath and clambered out of the far too comfortable bed. His legs wobbled underneath him but he managed to stand up right. His vision grew blurry as the blood rushed through his veins.

“Max I can carry you if you can't walk-” “you are not fucking carrying me-” the kid growled as the darkness eventually faded from his vision and he regained control of his footing. Step by step he stumbled towards the man who eventually caught him before he completely lost his balance.

David helped lead him towards the van, much to Max’s distaste. He huffed as he climbed into the passenger seat “I'm ninety percent convinced you're just going to drive somewhere to kill me-”

The counselor simply chose to ignore that comment as he carefully entered the vehicle. He started up the engine he grabbed his phone to pull up some sort of gps. “So what type of shops are we looking for?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember when I said I'd upload this chapter as quick as possible? Well my dumb ass thought I could finish writing this in the midst of prepping for RTX. On the bright side I was cosplaying as David for three days straight so hey at least there's that. Anyway this chapter has a ton of dialogue which I'm not quite used to but I hope I did it justice!


End file.
